Carnel murder trial postponed

Accused child murderer Anthony Michael Bennett’s trial in federal court has been postponed, originally to give his attorney more time to prepare.

Now, defense attorney Anthony T. Chambers is facing suspension.

Effective Monday, Chambers, who practices law in Detroit and has been licensed since 1985, is suspended for six months by the State of Michigan Attorney Discipline Board for misappropriating client fees, illegal use of client accounts, failure to keep clients informed and failure to respond to a grievance.

Chambers was also under investigation by the discipline board for allegedly not paying withholding taxes on wages he paid employees between November 2010 and November 2011.

Formal complaints were filed against Chambers on July 26.

Roughly two months after being informed that he was to appear at a hearing, Chambers got an attorney, who requested Sept. 18 to postpone the hearing to give her time to prepare, according to documents obtained from the discipline board.

Another hearing by the discipline board was scheduled for Oct. 26, but Chambers was in the closing phases of a trial and couldn’t attend, so the matter was rescheduled to Nov. 5, according to the discipline board.

At a hearing Nov. 5, an admonition from the Attorney Grievance Commission dated June 27, 1997, was given to the hearing panel, and Chambers again asked for a delay.

Chambers responded to the hearing panel Dec. 10, indicating that “during the period when the conduct was the subject of the formal complaint occurred, (Chambers’) ability to practice law competently was materially impaired, both physically and mentally, by alcohol addition.”

Chambers also said he intended to get treatment, and presented testimony of a psychiatrist and medical doctor at the Dec. 11 hearing, according to the discipline board.

Those physicians testified that alcoholism and depression impaired Chambers’ judgement, with psychiatrist Xavier White telling the panel that alcohol inhibited Chambers’ secondary cortical functions and that depression worsened the situation.

While the attorney for the grievance administrator requested disbarment, Chambers’ attorney argued that probation was appropriate discipline.

Chambers was instead suspended for 180 days, with the discipline board ordering him to notify all active clients within a week.

Chambers was also ordered to reach agreements with the clients who filed complaints before he petitions for reinstatement, and to pay $3,312.92 in costs by May 7.

Bennett, who is accused of murdering 4-year-old Carnel Chamberlain at his mother’s home on Tomah Road in Chippewa Township in June, remains in the Bay County Jail awaiting trial in U.S. District Court in Bay City.

Chambers had filed a motion April 11 to adjourn the trial to give him time to prepare because of the “extensive discovery involved in this case,” according to court records.

U.S. District Judge Thomas L. Ludington also granted an extension of the plea cut-off and a final pretrial conference to July 18, according to court records.

Ludington ordered a status conference for May 9, but the judges orders came before Chambers was disciplined.

Bennett, 21, is charged in U.S. District Court in Bay City with the June 21 first-degree murder of Carnel, whose remains were found under the porch at his mother’s home a week later.

Bennett and Carnel’s mother, Jaimee Chamberlain, shared the Tomah Road home, which has since been removed from the lot.

Carnel disappeared June 22, prompting a massive search effort involving hundreds of volunteers, police, firefighters and others fanning out from the home.

Searches for the boy continued, at times by helicopter and on horseback, for a week.

(Susan Field can be reached at 989-779-6075, sfield@michigannewspapers.com or follow her on Facebook at facebook.com/#!/susan.k.field.)